Car-coupling



I (No Model.) 8 8 J. H. GRUMB.

GAR COUPLING No. 488,873. Patentd Dec. 27,1882.

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JOHN H. GRUMB, OF BURLIN GAME, KANSAS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,873, dated December27, 1892.

Application filed March 28,1892. Serial No. 426,651. tNo model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN H. ORUMB, of Burlingame, in the county of Osageand State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Oar-Coupling, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theannexed drawings, forming a part thereof, in which Figure 1 is a planview, partly in section, of my improved car coupling; Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a car to which myimproved coupling has been applied; and Fig. at is a plan view of thesame.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in all theviews.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficientautomatic car coupling which may be uncoupled from the side or top ofthe car, and which may also be used asan ordinary coupling using a link.

My object is also to close the air brake pipe simultaneously with theuncoupling of the coupling.

My invention consists in the combination with a draw-head havingcavities for receiving an ordinary link, and holes for-the link pins,and provided With a nib, of a springactuated hook for engaging the nibof the part of the coupling carried by the adjacent car, the said hookbeing furnished with shoulders which engage the spring so as to hold thehook either open or closed.

It also consists in mechanism for uncoupling from the top or sides ofthe car, and for closing the air brake valve, all as will be hereinaftermore fully described.

The draw-bar A, is provided with a head B, in which is formed a cavity afor receiving the link 0. It is also provided with apertures forreceiving the ordinary coupling pin 1). One side of the head Bisprovided with anib D, and in the opposite side of the head is formed arecess E, for receiving the shankof the hook F, the said shank beingprovided with shoulders c, c, and with a vertical aperture for receivingthe pin d, which passes through the recessed side of the head, and formsthe pivot of the hook.

In the head B, at the bottom of the recess E, is inserted one end of acurved fiat spring -ner wall of the recess.

G, the other end of which rests upon the in- The said spring G, isengaged by the shoulders o, c, and holds the hook F at right angles tothe line of the draw- 5 5 bar and draw-head when the said hook isdetached from the nib D of the adjacent half of the coupling and thrownback, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to permit of using theordinary coupling link, but when the hook F is in engagement with thenib D, the spring G holds it in such engagement by pressing the shoulder0'.

At the end of the car near the coupling is pivoted a sector lever H,which is pivotally connected with a rod I, arranged to slide across theend of the car in suitable bearings, the rod I, being provided atopposite ends with eyeswhich serve as handles. The sector lever H isconnected with the hook F, by a chain e attached to the lever and to aneye f projecting from the back of the hook F. A red J is pivotallyconnected with the sector lever H, and extends upwardly through a guideg near the top of the car, and is provided at its upper end with a ringor target, which serves as a handle, and also indicates that thecoupling hook is swung out of the way so that it will not act when thecars come together.

Below the floor level of the car is arranged in Fig. 1, when two carsare pushed together.

When it is desired to uncouple the cars, the rod I is either pushed orpulled so as to turn the sector lever H, or the rod J is pulled upwardto accomplish the same thing; the turning of the sector lever pulls thehook F away from the nib D and this releases the coupling. The hook F isheld out of the acting position by its spring, and by the weight of therod I. The same motion of the sector lever turns the.

air brake lever h, and closes the air brake 5 pipe, thereby preventingthe escape of air, as the brake couplings are automatically uncoupled bythe separation of the cars.

It is obvious that instead of arranging the coupling so that the hookswill swing in a horizontal plane, the coupling may be placed so that thehooks will swing in a vertical plane,

but on account of the automatic adjustment of the coupling to cars ofdifferent heights when it is placed in a horizontal plane, this positionis preferred in actual practice.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent,-

1. In a car coupling, the combination with a draw head provided withpivoted coupling hooks, and the air brake valve, of mechanism foroperating the hooks, and a connection be tween the said mechanism andthe said valve, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a car coupling, the combination with a draw head having thecavitya for receiving an ordinary coupling link, the nib D on one sideandthe recess E on the opposite side, of a coupling hook F having itsshank provided with the shoulders c c and pivoted in the said recess,and the curved flat spring G, having one end secured in the bottom ofthe rear end necting the coupling and the lever of the air brake valveWith the sector lever H, substantially as specified.

JOHN H. CRUMB.

Vitnesses:

W. P. BEVERLY, J. W. OWEN.

